My Sister’s Keeper
THE WEEKEND BRIAN
by Picoult, JodieThe chapter opens with a surreal scene where Mrs. Zegna, a woman dressed as an octopus, arrives at the station distraught after losing her home in a fire. Her only remaining belongings are a Halloween costume and a Peter Paul and Mary album collection stored in a locker. The narrator, Brian, offers to connect her with a shelter and assist with insurance, only to learn she has none, as she doesn’t believe in preparing for disaster. This encounter prompts Brian to reflect on his own relationship with adversity, setting the tone for the chapter’s exploration of loss and resilience.
The narrative shifts to a hospital where Brian visits Kate, who is gravely ill and hooked up to a morphine drip. Sara, Kate’s mother and Brian’s estranged partner, is asleep on a cot nearby. Their conversation is strained, filled with practical details about Kate’s condition, but devoid of the emotional connection they once shared. Brian recalls a road trip they took years ago, where they visited a fortune-teller who cryptically advised him to “save yourself.” This memory highlights the emotional distance between them now, as Sara struggles to remember the trip altogether.
The tension escalates when Brian reveals his decision to support their daughter Anna’s petition to stop being a medical donor for Kate. Sara is furious, arguing that his testimony will sway the judge in Anna’s favor, potentially jeopardizing Kate’s survival. Their confrontation underscores the painful divide between them: Sara clings to the past and the hope of saving Kate, while Brian has accepted Anna’s autonomy and the inevitability of their fractured relationship. The scene is charged with unspoken grief and unresolved conflict.
The chapter closes with Sara expressing her desire to return to the past, to the love and connection they once shared. Brian, however, recognizes that neither of them is the same person they were during their happier times. The chapter poignantly captures the themes of change, loss, and the impossibility of reversing time, leaving both characters—and the reader—to grapple with the weight of their choices and the irreversible passage of time.
FAQs
1. What is the significance of Mrs. Zegna’s octopus costume, and how does it reflect her current situation?
Answer:
Mrs. Zegna’s octopus costume symbolizes her vulnerability and loss after her house was destroyed by a fire. The costume, which she mentions is the only clothing she has left, represents how her life has been reduced to remnants stored away (“rotting in a U-Store-It locker”). The absurdity of her appearance—a woman in a tentacled outfit—mirrors the chaos and disarray of her circumstances. Her lack of home insurance (“I don’t believe in living my life expecting the worst”) further underscores her unpreparedness for disaster, making the costume a poignant metaphor for her exposed and fragile state.2. How does the interaction between Brian and Sara in the hospital room reveal the emotional distance between them?
Answer:
Their conversation highlights their strained relationship through clipped exchanges and Sara’s inability to recall shared memories (e.g., the Nevada trip). Brian’s attempt to reconnect by mentioning the fortune-teller is met with blankness, emphasizing how their past intimacy has faded. Sara’s focus on practical matters (“review your testimony”) contrasts with Brian’s emotional reflection, showing they now operate on different wavelengths. The narrator’s observation that their talks are now “an economy of facts” underscores how their connection has dwindled to transactional dialogue, far removed from the deep bond they once shared during their Route 66 journey.3. Analyze the fortune-teller’s prophecy (“Save yourself”) and its thematic relevance to Brian’s current dilemma.
Answer:
The fortune-teller’s cryptic advice, “Save yourself,” foreshadows Brian’s conflict between loyalty to his family and self-preservation. In the hospital scene, this echoes in his decision to testify for Anna, prioritizing her autonomy over Sara’s wishes to keep Kate alive. The prophecy suggests that Brian’s path requires making painful, independent choices—reshaping his own future, as Madame Agnes said, without controlling others’. This mirrors Sara’s inability to accept Kate’s potential fate, contrasting with Brian’s willingness to “save himself” (and Anna) by letting go. The gas-running-out motif reinforces inevitability, hinting that resisting fate (like Sara does) is futile.4. How does the chapter use contrasting imagery to depict the past and present relationship of Brian and Sara?
Answer:
The past is romanticized through vivid, free-spirited memories (e.g., driving Route 66, counting prairie dog holes, Sara’s poetic vow to love Brian “until the moon lost its footing”). These images evoke warmth and adventure. In contrast, the present is sterile and fragmented: the hospital’s “wafer-thin” cot, Sara’s mechanical focus on legal strategy, and Brian’s silent observations of her changed demeanor. The shift from expansive landscapes (Nevada, Route 66) to claustrophobic interiors (hospital room) mirrors their emotional constriction. Sara’s plea to “go back” underscores the irreversible loss of their former selves, emphasized by Brian’s acknowledgment that neither is the person they once were.5. Why does Brian choose to support Anna’s petition, and what does this decision reveal about his character?
Answer:
Brian supports Anna’s petition because he respects her agency, acknowledging that she has “thought long and hard” about stopping donations to Kate. This reflects his growth into a parent who prioritizes his child’s emotional well-being over rigid loyalty to Sara or Kate. His quiet resolve (“Why else would I do it?”) shows he’s willing to face painful consequences—including Sara’s anger and Kate’s potential decline—to honor Anna’s choice. Unlike Sara, who clings to the past, Brian accepts the present’s harsh realities, demonstrating pragmatism and empathy. His decision aligns with the fortune-teller’s advice, emphasizing self-determination over futile resistance.
Quotes
1. “I don’t have home insurance. I don’t believe in living my life expecting the worst.”
This quote from Mrs. Zegna, dressed in an octopus costume after losing her home, reveals a poignant philosophy of optimism in the face of vulnerability. It contrasts sharply with the narrator’s world-weary perspective, highlighting how trauma reshapes one’s relationship with risk.
2. “Fortunes were like clay, and could be reshaped at any time. But you could only remake your own future, not anyone else’s, and for some people that just wasn’t good enough.”
The fortune-teller’s wisdom becomes a thematic anchor for the chapter, foreshadowing the central conflict about agency and sacrifice. This metaphor of mutable futures echoes in the family’s struggle over medical decisions.
3. “Save yourself.”
Madame Agnes’s stark prophecy to the narrator gains profound significance as he grapples with choosing between his daughter Anna’s autonomy and his wife Sara’s desperate hopes for their other daughter Kate. This two-word imperative encapsulates the chapter’s moral tension.
4. “I want to look at you and remember what it used to be like… I want you to take me back.”
Sara’s emotional plea reveals the chapter’s undercurrent of lost intimacy and the human desire to return to simpler times before illness fractured their family. This longing contrasts with the narrator’s acknowledgment that neither remains the person they once were.
5. “She would love me until the moon lost its footing in the sky… To be fair, I am not the same man. The one who listened. The one who believed her.”
These closing lines poignantly bookend the chapter’s exploration of how crisis transforms relationships. The lyrical memory of youthful love underscores how profoundly their marriage has changed through hardship and diverging priorities.